


favorite person

by reina_de_la_noche



Category: Bon Appétit Test Kitchen (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:40:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24089812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reina_de_la_noche/pseuds/reina_de_la_noche
Summary: The stick shift videoa few interruptionsand Claire gets her revenge
Relationships: Brad Leone/Claire Saffitz
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> RPF rules apply!!

“Ugh.” Claire drops her head to her hands, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment.  
“What’s wrong, Claire?” Dan’s voice has her look up again.  
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She hisses at him avoiding eye contact.  
“Please, Claire.” She sighs. How often have they played that game? Why has he still not learned to just give her a minute? In those moments of weakness, of failure for millions of people to see.  
It was easy for Dan to talk, he wasn’t the one in front of the camera. He remains, comfortably hidden, tucked away in the shadows. It isn’t his failure.

“Claire!” Another rougher voice. Some tension eases immediately at the sound as she turns to Brad grimacing.  
“How’s it going? Not good?” He approaches cautiously, knowing how she could snap any moment. she doesn’t. Instead she exhales dramatically and tilting her head to the side, she wedges her flat hand in between her neck and shoulder.  
“It’s just wrong today. Everything is wrong. It’s bad Juju or something. I don’t know.”  
Turning back to the counter she eyes the mess she created. Brad dares to step up and to her surprise puts his fingers to the hard muscles in her shoulders and neck and relieves the tension with gentle pressure. It takes all her self control not to start moaning in front of the entire crew.  
“Oh my god, Brad.” She tries to keep her voice at a normal tone. Dan’s eyebrows are testament to that failing, as well. Like everything today. Honestly, she doesn’t care anymore.  
“You gotta relax, half-sour.” Brad’s voice is gentle now, soft even. She feels his hot breath at her nape. Unconsciously she begins to nibble on her bottom lip, feeling that gentle ache grow between her legs. Fuck. He really shouldn’t be touching her like that in front of a camera. Dan saves her:  
“All right guys, let’s take 5.” Brad drops his hands and Claire can’t control the pout that blooms on her lips.  
“Coffee?” Brad beams at her and presents her with a steaming cup. Where did he pull that out of? She doesn’t care. God he knows her so well. She smiles wearily and takes a few sips. The simple gesture nearly makes her cry. She’s sure she’ll get her period, soon. Brad, sensing how overwhelmed she really is, takes her hands and just tugs her out of the kitchen. A few wry looks follow them as they leave.

Once they step onto the elevator and he pushes the button for the highest floor, she already knows where he is taking her. And it is just what she needs right now. Smiling at him she gently squeezes his fingers. Brad is quiet, which she is grateful for. He isn’t nearly as loud as people think. He knows exactly when to be the calmness that she doesn’t have and when to be her best cheerleader. He just knows her so well. The doors of the elevator glide open and reveal the deserted hallway. At the far end of it is a heavy metal door, which leads to the roof. They’re not supposed to use it, but they’ve never been caught. And Brad makes a disarming point when he asks her  
“Why is the lock so easy to pick, then?” every time she expresses any doubts about it.

As the cold wind hits her face, Claire can breathe again. They step toward the railing and just look down onto the bustling city for a while. When Claire yawns loudly, Brad turns to look at her. Her cheeks are flushed from the sharp wind up here and the circles under her eyes seem even darker beneath the gloomy light of the clouded day. She looks as beautiful as always, yet so lost in this moment, he wishes he could just kiss her worries away.  
“You’re exhausted.” it was a statement, an observation, but she hears it as an accusation.  
The genuine concern in his eyes is what breaks her. Finally the tears spill over and she sobs quietly into her hands.  
“Claire.” She feels his hands on her shoulders and then he’s holding her in a tight embrace. At his chest she comes undone and the pressure of the past weeks just explode. The steady circles he draws on her back anchor her and keep her from breaking down completely.

When she finally speaks, her words are muffled against his shirt and he pushes her away gently, holding her at arms length.  
“Sorry.. I’m sorry..” She wipes at her wet cheeks coyly.  
“You don’t have to apologize, Claire.” She thinks she hears the hint of pain in his voice. Almost like watching her be miserable transfers that feeling right back to him.  
“It’s just my stupid hormones… I’m gonna get my period...and then I have to test all these recipes for my cook book somehow in between shoots and writing and sometimes it just gets a little much, but… I shouldn’t complain, I mean… I have it pretty good..”  
“Why don’t you take a few days off? Tell Dan you’re sick, the way you’re looking right now he’s not going to argue with that. And then you can focus on your cookbook for a while..”  
She scoffs as he lets go of her.  
“I can’t just take a few days off, Brad.”  
“Why not?”  
Her mouth opens, but she doesn’t say anything. Sometimes she wishes she could be a bit more laid back, like Brad.  
“because I can’t, what’s gonna happen with gourmet makes? We have to shoot like 3 more episodes in the next 2 weeks.. if I just quit now, I’m gonna be behind and it’s gonna bite me in the ass later.”  
“It won’t be a problem. Seriously, I’m a little worried about you, bud. You gotta look after yourself or some day you’re just gonna break.”

That hangs in the air between them for a breath or two. She holds his gaze, the sincere softness in his eyes make it impossible for her to actually get mad at him.  
“I just can’t.” She eventually says quietly. The defeat in her voice pulls at his heart uncomfortably.  
“Why are you so stubborn, half-sour?”  
“I’m not stubborn.” Now he feels like she is just contradicting him for the hell of it. Clinging to every bit of control that remains.  
“Nothing wrong with being done, babe. It happens to the best of us.”  
The nickname slips his lips without much thought. She is too tired to care.  
“We all need a day off some time. It doesn’t make you weak or a quitter or something. If that’s what you’re worried about. No body thinks any less of you, because you need a break, Claire.”  
“Brad, I can’t stop now. If I stop now, then I don’t know if I’m gonna come back. It’s fine. I just need to push trough. Once my book is done, It’ll get better. It’s just… it’s a lot and I don’t know if I can do it.. if I’m good enough...”  
“You put too much pressure on yourself. All that stress you feel? No body puts that on you. You know no body is doubting you, but yourself.”  
“Damn, Brad. Welcome to your Ted Talk.”  
He smirks.  
“Hey now, Saffitz. Did you just joke at me?”  
“I would never, Leone.”

The fact that she could still joke has him relax a little. She doesn’t know exactly what he does that makes her feel better, but when they descend back to the kitchen her steps are much lighter, again. She isn’t going to just take days off, like he suggested, that would be insane. But maybe she could make a point of embracing the chaos and accept the little failures that tended to send her into a downward spiral of self doubt. Maybe it’s true that no body doubts her, but herself. It's crazy to her how the same person who tells everyone to carry zip ties in case your bumper falls off, gives her actual substantial advice. And of course, it is all easier said than done, but somehow he just managed to say exactly what she needed to hear. Just as they wait for the elevator, the urge to thank him overwhelms her. Later she doesn’t know what the hell got into her, but she tugs at his sleeve and steps a bit closer.

“thank you, Brad. I really needed to hear all that.” He smiles shyly.  
“Anything for you, bud.” His eyes are fixed on hers, his lips slightly parted. Unconsciously she leans toward him, tilting her head up. He swallows as their fingers brush and a flash of heat runs through her like a lightning bolt. He lowers his head and leans forward. She can see his pulse racing in his neck. Her eyes drop to his lips as they get closer and-  
“Claire! They’re looking for you!” Brad jumps away from her like she burned him. She turns to stare at Delany incredulously.  
“Oh, sorry. Didn’t mean to interrupt.”  
Brad stammers something and vanishes behind the door that leads to the stair case.  
“Well, you better hurry. They’re getting kinda impatient.”

***

“Morning, Claire.”  
“Hey, Gaby.”  
Gaby cocks her head.  
“Bad mood?”  
“Why?” Claire sounds more offended than she means to.  
“Just your face..” Gaby gestures at her awkwardly.  
“Never mind.” She hurries to turn her attention to the shelf she is organizing, before Claire gets the chance to kill her with the death stares she is shooting her way.  
“Gaby, Wha-”  
“Never mind it, Claire.” She repeats and ignores Claire’s groan. 

Fucking great. Now all day everyone is going to ask her about her mood, when that is the absolute last thing she needs right now. And really counterproductive if they mean to cheer her up. Seriously, why do people have to ask? If it’s that obvious? Her expressive face be damned. Sure enough Molly comes over to her as she is setting up her mise en place for the day. Thank god it isn’t a shoot day.

“Hey, Claire. How’s it going? Oh, bad day?”  
Claire forces herself to take a deep breath.  
“I don’t know why everybody asks me that like all the fucking time these days.”  
“Well, maybe cuz you look fucking miserable.”  
“But it’s not helping to point that out. It makes it worse.” Her voice is sharp enough for Molly to take a step back.  
“Sorry, Claire. Just trying to be nice..”  
Claire sighs deeply as Molly turns, not without patting her on the back and whispering:  
“Brad is coming back, soon. Hang in there.”

“Ugh.” She hates it. Hates that everybody knows. Everybody knows why she has been so on edge lately. Yet she is still trying to deny it. Brad is away, shooting going Places, honestly she doesn’t even know where the fuck he is and she tries not to care. They haven’t talked since he ran away from her on the top floor of the world trade center. She hasn’t made an effort to reach out to him, either. Even though the tension is slowly killing her. Why would he do that? Why would he just run away like that? Suddenly spooked by the possibility of kissing her? She understands the panic. She does. But he was the one who dragged her up there in the first place. He hugged her, when she cried. He called her “babe” for fucks sake. It’s scary, she knows. She’s scared, too. They have something special. A great friendship. There’s just a connection there. They understand each other in spite of being polar opposites. It just works and when he’s not around everything just seems to suck a little more. And she can’t lose him over a stupid little almost kiss. She was hormonal and he knew it.

A pot clatters loudly onto the floor and she curses more colorful than people are used to hearing from her. She can feel Carla’s and Christina’s eyes on her back, judging her. She knows she’s been behaving unfairly toward her coworkers. Letting her frustration out on them like a child. She doesn’t like who she becomes when Brad isn’t there. It sometimes feels like she needs his energy to counter hers, balance her and ground her. Fucking Brad. All she thinks about is Brad. Brad, Brad, Brad. It is exhausting. 

Carla is in the walk-in putting away an order, when Claire enters.  
“Carla, can I ask you something?”  
“Of course. What’s up, Claire?” She stands and faces her, hands on her hips.  
“Do you maybe wanna move it somewhere less freezing?”  
Claire peers out of the little window in the door to see Gaby and Andy standing by the computer.  
“Um, actually. I’d like it to stay between you and me..”  
“Okay.” Carla cocks her head.  
“So there’s this guy and the other day he really helped me out when I was feeling down and he hugged me and..”  
Carla holds up a hand stopping her.

“Just to clarify, you’re talking about Brad, right?”  
“Um.. I..”  
“It’s OK. Claire. I won’t tell anyone.”  
Claire hesitates, rubbing her arms in an attempt to keep warm.  
“Well, we almost kissed.”  
“Oh.”  
“Yeah. But we got interrupted and then he just fled, like I bit him or something. And we haven’t talked since..”  
“And who is avoiding who?”

“I think he is avoiding me, but I honestly don’t feel like confronting him.. I was hormonal that day and… I don’t know Carla, what the fuck am I doing? I don’t know what this is, he is one of my best friends and maybe I ruined everything, because we crossed a line and now it’s gonna be weird forever and..”  
“Well, honey. I can tell you one thing for sure: Brad is into you. I know you don’t read the comments, but if you ever doubt that that man has a crush on you, then you should check out the comments. You can literally check any video.”  
“But then why did he run away from me?”  
“You know. It’s Brad. Communication just isn’t his strong suit. Why don’t you just talk to him about it? You know like grown ups. Maybe he just panicked. If you think he doesn’t see you like that, maybe he has the same worries..”

***

When Brad steps into the test kitchen the next day, he barely acknowledges her with a nod and a forced smile. It chases icy shivers down her body. The unspoken tension between them sets off a day of cold puckering silence in the kitchen. Everybody is looking at them, but nobody dares to say something. Until Christina pulls her aside after lunch.  
“Did something happen between you two? Did you have a fight or something?”  
Claire shifts her weight nervously, tugging at her braid.  
“Just a misunderstanding.” She rolls her eyes and Christina chuckles softly.  
“Well, damn. It feels like I’m in a room with my parents right after they divorced. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Are you coming to drinks, later? Maybe you guys can talk it out with a bit of liquid courage, huh?”  
“I don’t know. We have to shoot the fucking stick shift video today.”  
“Oh, they’re actually going through with it?”  
“I’m already plotting my revenge.”

It is fucking cold out for a day in spring and Claire immediately regrets putting on a skirt as she stands next to Brad on an empty parking space somewhere in Jersey. The wind whips her hair around wildly, unnerving her even further. Somehow they managed to limit their interaction to the absolute minimum. And Brad is still avoiding her gaze. So she is all the more surprised, when he leans down to her.  
“It’ll be fine, Claire. There aren’t even any cars around. So even if you fuck up, nobodies going to get hurt.” He tries to reassure her.  
“Yeah, no cars. But what about the crew?”  
“Jeez, Claire. Do you really think that lowly of your driving skills?”  
“I haven’t driven in years.  
“Claire, they wouldn’t let us do it if it wasn’t safe.”  
She just scoffs, rolling her eyes.  
“If something happens, I’m blaming you. I didn’t want to do it in the first place.”

They start rolling and Claire forces a smile.  
“So, we’re here in lovely Jersey to finally teach Half-sour herself how not to get murdered, when you find yourself in the woods, hunted by a killer and there’s a car, but it’s a 5 speed.”  
“I’m being forced to do this, I just wanna say.”  
“You never know Claire, it might save your life one day.”  
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just get it over with.”  
Hunzi is already sitting in the backseat as they get into the car.  
“All right, lady. You all set?”  
“Yeah, whatever. So where’s the clutch?”  
“It’s the one on the left. Break is in the middle, gas to the right, as always.”  
“O.K. At least that’s the same.”  
“Yeah, Claire. It’s not that different.”  
She looks at him briefly, his eyes sparkling with amusement.  
“You think this is funny?”  
“Just a little. No need to freak out, Claire. Break is in the middle, remember?”

She swallows her response and just exhales sharply.  
“Fine. Now what?”  
“OK, So to start you wanna step on the clutch.”  
Claire does as instructed.  
“Like that?”  
Brad has to tear his gaze from her skirt that rises up ever so slightly, exposing a strip of perfectly smooth skin.  
“Yeah.” She looks up at him and frowns when she finds something in his eyes that she can’t quite place.  
“Oh, Claire. You let go of the clutch. You gotta hold it down.”  
“Oh.” She didn’t even notice that she moved her foot.  
“Oops.”  
In spite of herself she giggles, slowly relaxing.  
Brad’s face lights up with the sound.  
“There you go. Now we’re having fun, again. See not that bad, is it?”  
“Well, we haven’t even started driving, yet.”  
“Don’t you worry. It’s gonna be fine. OK. Next step. Hold the clutch and now we have to choose the first gear to start driving, yeah. So..”  
Claire places her hand on the shifter hesitantly. She almost jumps when Brad just covers her hand with his, shooting electricity through her body. Their eyes meet curtly, her mouth is suddenly so dry and sweat beads above her lips. Brad clears his throat awkwardly.  
“So this is 1, 2..” He lightly guides her to push the shifter up then down.  
“3,4..”The pressure of his fingers make her heart beat irregularly. She finds it hard to focus on the matter.  
“5 and that’s reverse.” As quickly as his hand was there it’s gone again and she misses his comforting touch immediately.

“You can just check the nice lil. Drawing on there if you forget.”  
He points to the shifter and she stares at it for the blink of an eye.  
“So the trick is to feel the moment of release. Once you’re clutch is down, you’re in first gear you need to slowly release the clutch while simultaneously giving gas, but slowly, Claire. You gotta feel it. And then there’s a point, when the car starts moving. And once it’s moving, just shift up the faster you wanna go.”  
“Do I have to shift down if I’m slowing, too?”  
“Well, duh, Claire, yes.”  
“But then I’m shifting all the time.”  
“If you drive in a city then you have to shift a lot, yeah.”  
“That sounds stressful.”  
He shrugs.  
“It’s a practice thing, like everything.”  
“Good thing I don’t ever have to do that.”

Brad continues to talk her through the process and she laughs, when she gets the car rolling on the first try. The triumphant grin she shoots him draws his eyes to her lips, lingering there as she shifts into second gear. From her lips he can’t help but notice her neck, so fair, so delicate. He wonders what noise she’d make if he kissed her just below her ear. And how her breasts would fit perfectly into his palms, how her nipples would grow hard and perk under his touch. What she would taste like if he kissed her, then. Probably of Vanilla, he decides. So lost in his dream, he doesn’t hear Hunzi clear his throat. When he sees the video later, he is glad that Claire doesn’t read the comments. He is devouring her with his hungry gaze and she is oblivious to his pining. He doesn’t snap out of his trance until the car jerks to an abrupt stop and Claire yelps startled.  
“What happened!?”  
“You just stalled the engine. No big deal. Just restart it and try again.”  
“You didn’t tell me this could happen!?”  
“Didn’t want you to worry unnecessarily. It’s no problem, Claire. Happens all the time. Just go again.”  
“Fine. Did you see me, though? I’m actually good at this.”  
“Yeah, you are a natural, Claire.”

She ends up enjoying the shoot, but she makes sure to complain again before they get to the outtro. Afterwards the air between them doesn’t feel nearly as frosty as before and so she lets Chris persuade her into joining them for drinks. The Bar is busier than expected and it only makes her a little nervous. They squeeze around two tables that they push together and Claire is glad when brad chooses a chair next to her. He smiles down on her and makes a point to look into her eyes when they clink bottles.  
“You gotta look everyone in the eyes.” he says, like he always does, but he only looks at her.  
“What happens if you don’t?”  
“Huh?” His head snaps up toward Molly who is grinning at him impishly.  
“If you don’t do the look into the eyes thing?”  
“That’s 7 years of bad sex.”  
“Oh, damn.”  
Claire giggles and sinks back into her chair. She lets the chatter of her colleagues wash over her and allows herself to forget everything else for the next couple of drinks. 

When she gets up to use the restroom at some point, she knows Brad’s eyes are following her across the room. And maybe she does sway her hips a bit more than necessary. She finds him standing at the bar, when she returns. He’s left his beanie on the table with the others and his curls fall into his face a little bit. He looks so good like that, she doesn’t understand why he always hides them.  
“Brad.” He looks up at her grinning.  
“Claire!” He drags out the A and stretches his arms toward her.  
“Get over her, half-sour.” He’s drunk. They both are. His breath reeks of beer when he leans toward her.  
“I heard you’re plotting revenge.” His gaze wanders over her face and dips to her flushed chest for a second.  
“But I thought you kinda had fun today, didn’t ya?”  
His fingers land on her arm and it draws her closer to him. 

She says nothing, just looks up at him with those crazy big eyes that have been hypnotizing him since the day he first stepped foot into the test kitchen. Her hair is in disarray and he fights the urge to reach out and brush some of it behind her ear. Her lips purse when he closes his fingers around her arm and draws her in even closer.  
“I had fun today.” He whispers and he can’t help but stare at her lips. Claire is suddenly wide awake, anticipation loading her with prickling electricity. He is as close as he was that day on the roof. He smells of beer and sweat and Brad. Her core tightens and her eyes close and -  
“You guys!” Claire gasps, stepping away from Brad who looks at Delaney like he’s going to snap him in two.  
“I swear to god, Delaney!” He bellows and it’s too much for Claire. She’s drunk and confused and hot. Why is she so hot? Pushing through the crowd she slithers her way out of the bar, into a cab and away from him.


	2. Chapter 2

“Hey, I’m Brad. I’m in the Bon Appetit test kitchen and today Claire gets her revenge.”  
“Don’t forget to smile with your eyes, too!” Claire shouts from behind the camera, both thumbs raised and a smug grin on her face.  
“I’m always smiling with my eyes, half-sour. I smile with my soul and my brains and my arms, Heck, I smile with my ass cheeks. All the smiles.”  
Claire dissolves into giggles, rubbing her hands in anticipation of watching Brad suffer. She has been bugging Dan and Hunzi about the idea of making Brad film an episode of gourmet makes, knowing full well it is his worst nightmare and they eventually relented.

She deserves this. They all love to see her whine and fail with Brad being the first one to tell her to relax and to show a little more enthusiasm. And especially after making her sit through the stick shift video her mind has been set on revenge. Sweet, sweet revenge.   
“So the lovely Claire Saffitz has been so kind as to pick a candy that would be an enormous pain to make. And so today I’m making Mon cheri. Did I say that right?”  
Claire bites her lip not to laugh at his pronunciation, knowing how self conscious he gets sometimes. She opts for giving him yet another thumbs up.  
“How do you say it, Claire?”   
She repeats the words, too embarrassed to pull out her french accent.  
“Oh, so it’s like Croissant.” Dan looks confused, but Claire chuckles lowly, smiling at him.  
“You got it, Brad.”  
“Sweet. What did we say, I get three jokers?”  
Dan nods.  
“All right so they’re being gracious enough to let me get help from the expert when I feel I need it. But let me tellya I won’t need it. Couse the difference between me and Miss Half-Sour is that my glass is 2/3rds full, we’ve been over this. I’m gonna smash this candy with my positive attitude alone.”  
“Can’t wait.”   
“Just you wait, Claire. Maybe I’ll surprise you.”  
“You always do.” 

While the crew laughs around her, Claire doesn’t know what to do with herself as she stares at Brad’s hands. He struggles with the tiny molds and it is apparently really comical. But the sensation it provokes within her isn’t funny at all. Something about his strong fingers fiddling with the small pieces makes him look even bigger, even stronger. And Claire can’t help but wonder how small she’d look under his touch. How easily he’d cup her breasts, how he could just lift her up, like she weighed no more than one of those fucking candies. Oh everything those fingers could do to her… She flushes and fans herself with the folder she’s clinging onto. To her horror Brad looks up and directly at her. She swallows thickly as he flashes his teeth at her.

“I don’t know how you do it, Claire. You’re a frigging genius. Have I told you that? I’m no good at this. You know also, honestly I’m starting to get bored. Where do you take all that patience from? Also my hands are just way too big for this shit... just no, it’s not working.”  
Brad sets down the piece of chocolate and sighs exasperated.  
“Do you want to call in your joker?” Brad ponders on the offer. He doesn’t want to give Claire the satisfaction of having to save the day, because he’s too stupid to recreate a fucking Mon cheri.  
But then he’s also really over it by now and wants to finish.  
“Fine then, send in the ole half-sour.”  
Claire beams when she joins him. He looks down on her, quirking his eyebrow.  
“You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t ya. You love watching me suffer, don’t ya?”  
“I do. Very much. Harder than you thought, huh?”  
“Well… yeah. I’m not smart enough for this shit, we know this, Claire. No surprise there. There’s a reason I ferment stuff…” Even though she knows he’s joking, she can see a hint of actual frustration in his eyes. In spite of herself, she encourages him:  
“Oh Brad. You’re smart enough. It’s just very different than from what you’re used to. Here..”  
She reaches for one of the candies.  
“Try to coat them in a thinner layer like so..”  
Claire coaches him through the rest of the episode and somehow the chocolates come out acceptable. But Brad isn’t happy with the result. He pokes at the gourmet version of the candy, a growing crease between his brows. Truly he sometimes can’t understand why they’re keeping him around. His gaze catches on Claire talking to Chris. She’s so obviously superior to him in so many ways. She’s smarter and has a proper education, she knows how to say capsaicin. Hell that woman speaks french and went to Harvard. He understands why she is here. But he? What did he bring to the table?   
“Brad?” Claire walks over to him.  
“Are you still upset about this?” She laughs and it smooths his frown right away.  
“Do you understand me now? Imagine having to do this all the time.” 

***

He is absent during drinks after work. He stares into space, while slowly twirling his drink with one hand. Claire wants to run her fingers through his hair and ask him what’s wrong, even though she already knows what he’s hung up on, but there are too many people around and she is getting too tipsy too fast. Everyone is laughing at his expense and cheering for Claire for finally getting back at him. Brad smiles at them idly, barely paying attention. Claire isn’t doing any better, she catches herself zoning out, too. Her gaze keeps getting caught on Brad’s bulky shape, hunched over. Chris tries talking to him, then Carla, then Rick. They don’t make him smile.   
“Claire!” Molly shouts into her ear.  
“You gotta talk to your boyfriend over there. He is killing the mood!”  
“Molly.” Carla warns, discretely pushing a water in her direction.   
But Claire is already walking toward him, drunk enough to not shy away from lightly touching his arm and asking him to come outside for a second. Brad frowns, but doesn’t question her.

Once they stand on the street, she realizes that she didn’t think this through. It’s freezing and she didn’t bother to bring her jacket. In an attempt to retain some warmth she folds her arms and shifts her weight from leg to leg. Brad doesn’t seem affected by the biting wind, he still just stares at her expectantly.  
“Did you wanna say something, Saffitz? Maybe make it quick, before you catch a cold.”  
“Do you remember what you said to me on the roof?”  
He shrugs.  
“Sure.”  
“Well, don’t be a hypocrite, Brad. No body here doubts you, but yourself. You are a great chef and you are clever and smart and kind and empathetic and funny. And yeah, maybe sometimes the English language isn’t your friend, but that doesn’t make you stupid. It makes you human. We all know you’re not stupid. Again: No body here doubts you.” 

Claire can see the faintest smile sneak onto Brad’s face and it warms her heart so much she almost forgets how freezing cold she is.  
Brad pulls her to his broad chest, engulfing her with his strong arms, gently rubbing her back, trying to fend off the cold. She sighs relieved and shudders when the heat he radiates stops her teeth from shattering. He drops his head onto her shoulder and his lips brush against her collarbone. Suddenly she isn’t cold anymore. Instead searing embers kindle a fire in her chest as her mouth begins to water.  
“Thanks, Claire. I needed to hear that.” 

She looks up at him and this time there is no one who can keep her from kissing him. It is like the world stops turning and there is nothing else that matters than Brad’s mouth on hers. He kisses her gently, almost careful. Like she’d turn into dust if he held her too tightly. Claire moans and opens her mouth for him. He sucks her bottom lip between his teeth and bites down gently. Shudders run through her body and her heart hammers behind her chest so hard that the vibrations transfer onto him. His hands are on her cheeks to hold her in place as he deepens the kiss. Claire is on fire and she wants to burn. A groan rises in Brad’s chest as he inexplicably manages to pull her even closer. She never wants to stop kissing him. She never wants to do anything else for the rest of her life.

“There you are!” Claire doesn’t believe her ears. They release each other and turn to stare at Delaney.  
“Are you fucking kidding me, bud!?”  
“Sorry guys, didn’t mean to interrupt..”  
Claire is starting to think there must be a reason why they keep getting interrupted. Maybe this is a horrible mistake. Christina steps through the door peeking at them from behind Delaney’s shoulder.  
“You guys! What are you doing out here? It’s freezing! Come back inside. Carla is pissed and we’re playing spin the bottle.”

Claire falters as she takes a step away from Brad. He observes her intently.  
“I.. I.. I’m gonna call it a night.”   
“What?” Christina protests.  
“Don’t go yet, Claire.” Delaney pleads.   
Brad says nothing.  
“Sorry, guys. I’m just..” She looks to the floor unable to come up with a good excuse. Her head is spinning.   
“You’re tired, I hear you. I’ll get your stuff.”  
“Thanks, Christina.”  
Delaney shrugs and wishes a good night before following her back inside. Brad tucks his hands into his pockets, still quiet. 

When Claire has her jacket and purse she turns to leave. Brad falls in step behind her, but she stops to face him.  
“Brad, I want to go alone.”  
He looks hurt as he lowers his gaze.  
“Oh.”  
“I see you tomorrow, OK?”  
“Claire, take a cab then, please?”  
“Fine.”

***

The next day, she doesn’t see him when she enters and exhales relieved. She isn’t ready to face him. She isn’t ready to ignore him, again. She fears she might crack under his presence this time. And just fling her arms around him and tell him everything. All the feelings she’d kept bottled up, tucked away. Delaney strolls around the corner just when she is starting on a new recipe.  
“Claire.”  
“Hey, Alex.” She forces a smile.   
“Hey, I wanted to apologize for yesterday. Felt like I really got you at a bad time there..”  
“You think!?” She glares at him, eyes round.  
“Delaney!” Brad’s voice rumbles through the kitchen and has Claire’s hairs stand on end.  
“You! Get the fuck out of here and you...” He pushes Delaney aside and holds out his hand.  
“Come with me.” 

When Claire doesn’t move he just grabs her and pulls her with him out of the kitchen and down the hall.   
She has to jog to keep up with his long strides and lets out a sound of protest when he opens a random door, revealing a small storage room. He nudges her inside and closes the door behind them.  
“Brad..” She starts, but he cuts her off.  
“No, Claire. You need to listen: You are driving me insane! All I think about is you! All day, all night. I can’t fucking focus and I couldn’t do that when I wasn’t thinking about you and so now it’s even worse. All I wanna do is make you laugh and when you’re sad then I’m sad. Claire.”  
He swallows.

“I’m in love with you, OK? I have been for a long time and I can’t live like this, any more. I want to be with you. And I know we work together and it’s complicated and that I can’t afford to lose you, but Claire..”  
He takes a deep breath.  
“You will never lose me. You’re my favorite person and you will always be. No matter what happens. But I can’t ignore this no more. It’s going to kill me.”  
Claire’s breath catches in her throat, her entire skin is tingling.   
She stares up at him unable to form a single thought.  
“Fuck, Claire. Will you say something, please?”

And then she breaks. Launching herself at him she presses her mouth to his greedily and he lifts her up with ease and pushes her against the wall. He is everywhere and she just melts under his touch.  
“I love you.” She gasps between kisses and his grin is so feral it brings her blood to a boil. The tension of years finally coming undone around them. Brad lowers her to the floor, never breaking the kiss. His hands are under her skirt, tearing away her panties. She moans when his fingers brush her pussy.   
“Fuck, Claire.” His lips are on her neck, while she buries her fingers in his locks. She needs to feel more of him. He lowers onto his knees, his hands gliding down her body and stilling at her waist. He locks her gaze with his and grins mischievously before he dips his head and his mouth is on her. She gasps and clutches at his hair.  
“Brad. You don’t have to…” She doesn’t even know why she says it. She never wants him to stop.  
“Shut up, Claire. I’ve been wanting to do this since I first saw you.” He mumbles at her thighs and glides his tongue over her.   
“Hmm..” He pauses and looks up at her.  
“Just like I thought.”  
“What?” Her voice is too high.  
“The most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted.”  
“Oh my god, Brad.” She giggles and swats his head playfully.  
But then his tongue moves expertly at her heat as he sucks and licks her into nirvana. His fingers dig into her hips, she is thankful for the anchor it provides. Without it she thinks she might float away. His breath is hot on her sensitive skin and she can feel her clit pulsating. Instinctively she pushes into his mouth, demanding more. It takes all her self control not to scream. When she comes, his name on her lips it is hard and ecstatic and she sees the sun and the moon and all the stars. He grins at her, obviously very pleased with himself. Wiping his mouth with his arm, he rises to his feet slowly and rests his face on her breasts, panting. When they can breathe again he looks at her with sad eyes.  
“I hate to leave you like this, but I should have started filming like 10 minutes ago.”  
“What?”  
“Sorry, babe. I promise I let you get your revenge, later.” he winks, presses a haste kiss to her swollen lips and then he’s gone. 

Claire needs a moment to recover before she dares to step out the closet. Luckily the hallway is empty as she does. The look into the mirror above the sink in the ladies room confirms her suspicions. Her cheeks are bright red, as are her lips, sweat covers her forehead and chest. And her hair is everywhere except where it should be. Smiling at herself stupidly she splashes her face with cold water and tames her mane into a messy bun.   
Brad Leone loves her. Brad loves her. It’s all she can think about when she returns to the test kitchen. Brad’s energy is through the roof as he is talking to the camera, chopping something, Claire can’t identify from the distance. She folds her arms and leans against the wall, just watching him.  
A ray of sun breaks on her earring and draws Brad’s attention on her. The look he gives her shakes her to her core. It’s so full of love her stomach churns and her grin is so broad her cheeks hurt.   
And somehow she just knows they’re going to be all right.

**Author's Note:**

> DELANEY!


End file.
